Despite the Renamo boycott, there was no problem with a quorum. 142 of the 144 deputies of the ruling Frelimo Party elected in the general elections of 15 October were present, as were all 17 deputies of the opposition Mozambique Democratic Movement (MDM).
The quorum for the Assembly to meet and take valid decisions is 126 (half the deputies plus one). The absence of the 89 Renamo deputies could not prevent the Assembly from sitting.
The Renamo boycott was called by Renamo leader Afonso Dhlakama on the grounds that the elections were fraudulent, even though Renamo had voted for the legislation under which they were held, and Renamo had appointed literally thousands of people at all levels of the electoral machinery.
The outgoing head of state, Armando Guebuza, chaired the sitting, and swore into office the Frelimo and MDM deputies.
The only other item of business was the election of the chairperson (speaker) of the Assembly. Frelimo proposed a second term for Veronica Macamo, and she was unopposed. Nevertheless, as required by the Assembly’s standing orders, a secret ballot was held.
142 votes were cast in favour of Macamo, and there were 17 blank ballots (presumably cast by the MDM deputies).
Macamo was then sworn into office by Hermenegildo Gamito, chairperson of the Constitutional Council, the country’s highest body in matters of constitutional and electoral law.
In a brief speech to the Assembly, Macamo pledged to “respect differences of opinion”, and to continue “consolidating the democratic rule of law”. She did not so much as mention the Renamo boycott.
The Frelimo Central Committee Secretary for Mobilisation and Propaganda, Damiao Jose, told AIM that, in informal discussions with Renamo members, Frelimo had learnt that many of the elected deputies wanted to take their seats but had been prevented from doing so by Dhlakama’s threats against them and their families.
Nonetheless, Jose stressed that a deputy who refused to take his seat was making an individual decision to betray his electorate. “They were elected by the voters, and not by Afonso Dhlakama”, he stressed.
As for Dhlakama’s threat to set up what he calls an “autonomous Republic of Central and Northern Mozambique”, Jose dismissed this as “an aberration” , that had no justification whatever in the Mozambican constitution and legal system.
Although no date was announced, it is expected that the Assembly will meet again in the very near future to elect its deputy chairpersons, its governing board, the Standing Commission, and the members of the various working committees.
The Renamo group now has 30 days to take their seats. Any deputies who fail to take their seats within that deadline will lose them. Until they take the oath of office, the Renamo members will be unable to draw their parliamentary salaries, and will enjoy none of the privileges that go with parliamentary office.
Post published in: Africa News